Just wondering what would be the best manual to have on hand. I purchased a Bentley manual on ebay but the seller never shipped so I'm getting a refund. I later found a PDF downloadable manual for $15 but it's the official manual that MINI dealership technicians use. Which would be a better manual?

 

The BMW technicians use an online based service that is constantly updated so there is no need to every worry about having outdated information regarding service procedures. It costs thousands of dollars so I doubt the fifteen dollar special is any good. The Bentley manual is perfectly acceptable for the DIY guy at home.

 

there have ben various PFD's on the 'factory manual' over the years and none I've seen have been worth a damn (I have a couple and after a while the pictures are out of phase with the text)

As mentioned MINI has NO manual as such, theirs are all on line. The Bentley pages look like someone did the same thing as the PFD attempts - print ALL the pages - but Bentley did it while making payment for the copyright AND did it right.

'best' is subjective. I've been getting by with the Haynes for years and tend to answer many questions around here using it when no one with a Bentley is willing to chime in.

I have the factory manuals for my Mini too, and use the Haynes for it more. My metric for 'best' probably differs from yours.

 

$15 ??? Probably just the owners manual, not a repair manual

 

Have used the Bentley manual for quite a few repairs and it's pretty much always been spot on. There are certainly times when they have you doing what I would consider "extra" steps but the idea is they make future steps much easier to do. For example, I don't bother with pulling the bumper cover or putting the car in service mode when I remove the trans. But the Bently has you follow all those steps. It is a pretty good manual though.

 

The Bentley is your best bet, get it from another seller or Amazon. It's better than a Haynes, and just shy of what I'd consider a factory service manual.

 

Thanks for the info everyone. I guess I'll stick to the Bentley manual. Here is the link to the auction for the $15 PDF manual if anyone was curious. http://www.ebay.com/itm/231155665687...84.m1423.l2649
Thanks again.